Let whimsy guide you

and musings on the newborn phase

10.24.2025

Good Morning! First of all, sorry I missed last Friday’s newsletter. My wife and I welcomed our second child to the world, so I had a few things going on!

Here is what I’m thinking or found interesting this week:

1. “Let whimsy guide you.” This is what my wife said to me when I went to pick out some donuts for us at Fox’s Donut Den in Nashville. Pretty good life advice, too.

2. Speaking of whimsy, I have added a “whimsy” section to my daily log in my Field Notes. It has been a good way to be sure I add a little bit of fun and joy to each day.

3. I really like this tweet from Boze the Library Owl about the connections to myth and folklore that Tolkien uses in The Lord of the Rings. I love it when I see connections between stories. It makes them all so much richer.

4. Shoutout to my Kindle in the newborn phase. It allows me to easily read with one hand when holding the baby, even at 2 AM. A Kindle is a must-have for new parents who enjoy reading.

5. Since my daughter was born, I have been reminding myself to love every season of life and of parenting. Getting up to help change and feed the baby multiple times a night is really hard, and it would be easy to wish away this season and go to a time where I will get more sleep, but I want to embrace every moment with this baby.

6. Loving this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” (The in-between moments you spend on your phone could be used for something else.)

7. Books I’m currently reading:
-Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
-Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio
-Upstream by Mary Oliver
-Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer

Love,

Mark

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.